Kabul: One French soldier was killed and nine were wounded by an improvised explosive device during an operation in Afghanistan`s Kapisa province on Wednesday, the French presidency said.
A corporal with the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment was killed in the attack and nine fellow marines were injured, the French presidency said in a statement, expressing "France`s determination to continue to work with the International Security Assistance Force" in Afghanistan.
The corporal was the 55th French soldier killed during operations in Afghanistan.
"This afternoon the President (Nicolas Sarkozy) learned with much sadness of the death of a corporal in the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan," the statement said.
"During an operation in Kapisa, his armoured vehicle was struck by an explosion from an explosive device. ... Nine other marines were also wounded in the attack," it said.
About 4,000 French soldiers are deployed under NATO command with ISAF forces in Afghanistan in the conflict against Taliban insurgents.
Sarkozy also reaffirmed "his support for the Afghan people and for the Afghan authorities" and expressed France`s determination to remain a part of ISAF.
"This force, mandated by the UN, was given the mission to contribute to the return of stability, the re-establishment of peace and to the development of Afghanistan," the statement said.
Bureau Report
